Collierville board meetings now streaming online

Anyone with a computer or smartphone now has a way to watch the Town of Collierville meetings on the go or from home.

Town officials recently began live streaming and archiving its meetings online and can be accessed through Collierville's website at collierville.com.

Currently, only the town's Board of Mayor and Aldermen and Planning Commission meetings are streamed and archived. The town began its live stream during the Sept. 24 board of mayor and aldermen meeting.

Collierville public information officer Mark Heuberger said town leaders wanted to begin live streaming in 2007 but didn't do so because of high costs. In 2007, the cost would have been around $25,000 annually, which included streaming, recording and other services. Today, the service costs the town approximately $5,700.

"It was quite cost prohibitive in those days and that's why we didn't propose it at the time," Heuberger said. "But we've looked at it every year since then."

The City of Germantown also streams its biweekly board of mayor and aldermen meetings. One of the advantages of live streaming, Heuberger said, is anyone can view the meetings from anywhere.

"If someone has an interest in what's going on in town government and is not able to be at the meeting that night, they have the ability to look on their phone and see the results on the meeting right away," Heuberger said.

The Collierville meetings also are posted on its website the following day.

Heuberger added that so far the steaming service has received positive reviews from town leaders. Alderman Billy Patton said the streamed videos allow for a more transparent government.

"It makes the case for a more open government and makes our elected officials more accountable," Patton said.

The archived videos also include time stamps and viewers are able to watch different sections of the meeting with a single click. Meeting agendas also are posted with the videos.